


Not Your Fault

by therunawaypen



Series: 00Q Tumblr Prompt Fills [59]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies), Skyfall (2012) - Fandom
Genre: Feels, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Q needs a hug, post Skyfall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-15
Updated: 2014-01-28
Packaged: 2018-01-04 17:00:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1083454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therunawaypen/pseuds/therunawaypen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone is depressed after M's death. Q more so than others. James intends to help his friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> OOQ: In the aftermath of Skyfall Q’s become depressed but is trying to hide it from everyone from Bond to the minions. But after a couple of minions, R and Eve get worried Bond gets to the bottom of things and gives Q a much needed dose of confidence and the love he’s needing more than he knows. Hurt/comfort sweetness and OOQ fluff please? —anon

Everyone was depressed after M’s death, it was simply a given. She had been their leader, the one who represented them all and defended them from whoever might question the workings of MI6. The fact that she was dead…it was a blow to them all.

So no one really noticed at first how Q wouldn’t speak unless someone asked him a question, how he never looked up from his work or even so much as left Q branch whenever he was MI6.

The Minions noticed first; they were the ones who spent the most time with him after all. They noticed how Q wasn’t returning to his usual self in the months following M’s death. If anything, he was getting worse.

They voiced their concerns to Eve. That was when Eve noticed that Q didn’t have any witty comments to make whenever she came to check on him.

It was then that Eve told James about her concerns. James had been struggling with his own demons since M’s death (he _had_ held her in his arms as she drew her last breath, after all), but he was hardly going to ignore concerns about Q’s own wellbeing.

Though in the back of James’s mind, he had a vague idea what might be upsetting Q. Most likely because it was along the same lines of what haunted him at night.

So when James decided to make his move, he waited until Q branch wasn’t very crowded. None of the minions paid him any mind as he made his way to Q’s office. None of them even noticed that James had shut and locked the office door behind him.

Q was hunched over his desk, like he usually was, tinkering with some fancy gadget. When he saw James, he stood slowly, assuming the 00 agent was in his office for a mission of some sort.

James crossed the office without a word and, before the Quartermaster could inquire what might be wrong, James had him in a tight embrace, holding him in his arms.

Q stiffened at first, not used to anyone, let alone a 00 agent, displaying such affection with him.

“It wasn’t your fault.”

James could hear the hitch in Q’s breath as he spoke, “It wasn’t your fault…” He repeated, “It wasn’t anyone’s fault…”

There were several tense moments when nothing happened. Then James could feel Q’s muscles relax under his touch as the smaller man rested his head against James’s chest.

“M gave you this position for a reason; she trusted that you were the man for the job.” James continued, “You _are_ the man for this job.”

Q didn’t say anything. Then again, James didn’t expect him to. Q didn’t need to say anything, he just needed to listen to James and believe that it was the truth.


	2. Chapter 2

There’s really only so much a person can do to alleviate someone else’s guilt. One can only say “It wasn’t your fault” and remind the guilt-ridden party of the circumstances. It is a completely logical argument to present.

The human heart is very rarely, if ever, logical.

James was well aware of that. He was still haunted by Vesper’s death, and there were days in which he still felt solely responsible.

So he knew Q wouldn’t bounce back from the dark place he had spent the past few months. And he would never expect Q to simply let go of the tragedy of M’s death. That would make him a hypocrite.

But…there were certain things James could do.

Like listen whenever Q needed to vent all his self-doubts and fears. There had been more than one occasion in which James had received a phone call in the middle of the night from Q, who was close to tears and near inconsolable. On those nights, James could listen, only speaking when Q needed to be told something or have a question asked. Because Q needed someone to listen to him, not tell him he was wrong to feel guilty.

But James would always tell Q that it was not his fault. Because it wasn’t. And James didn’t mind being a broken record in Q’s mind.

The first bit of sunshine in their bleak journey together came one day when James visited Q branch after a mission.

“I think you made the exploding pens a bit too powerful.” James stated, pulling up a chair to sit across from Q.

Q looked up from his computer, eyebrow raised. “A weapon too powerful for 007? The end is nigh.” He shook his head, “May I ask how you came to this conclusion?”

James was slightly pleased that Q had at made a joke, even if it was at his expense, “The target’s pet python swallowed the pen while it was trying to crush me.” He explained, “I was wearing python intestines for the rest of the mission.”

The Quartermaster stared at James, trying to see if he was being serious. Then, he threw back his head and laughed, “I wish I could have seen that!” He smiled, “That must have been a sight, _“The name’s Bond. James Bond. And pay no mind to the snake intestine that’s splattered against this tailored suit.””_

It took James a moment to realize Q had done an impersonation of him, but once he did, he couldn’t help but laugh along with Q, “I certainly felt ridiculous.”

Sure, it was a moment of laughter and a fair bit of silliness, but sometimes, that’s what life needs.


End file.
